SCHOOL governors in Wales will have access to paid-for legal advice for controversial decisions, it was announced yesterday.

SCHOOL governors in Wales will have access to paid-for legal advice for controversial decisions, it was announced yesterday.

The scheme, with advice paid for by the Assembly Government, is the first of its kind in the UK.

It is designed for cases where the law is unclear and for contentious issues such as staff discipline or the expulsion of pupils.

Umbrella body Governors Wales, which has 26,000members, is being given access to advice from Judicium ofLondon.

The Assembly has pledged £25,000 funding for the plan this year.

Leon de Costa, chief executive of Judicium, said, "The scheme is intended to provide the Welsh governors of schools with independent advice, should they ever need that advice, where there is a conflict with the advice given by the local authority.

"An example would be where the governors wish to take a decision on expelling or not expelling a pupil.

"The local authority has been able to say, 'We have our own legal department'.

"There was a case last year where the school wanted to expel a pupil, not because the pupil was violent but because the parents were violent, and there you have a good example of a conflict bet-ween a local authority and a school."

Mr de Costa said he expected to be contacted between five and 10 times a month with queries from governors.

Education minister Jane Davidson said, "There are occasions when a governing body would benefit from being able to access legal advice from an independent source, especially where staff disciplinary procedures are involved.

"The partnership between Governors Wales and Judicium is truly unique, no service of this nature has previously existed in England or Wales, and it will improve the effectiveness of governing bodies."